We had initially decided not to have a holiday this summer; however, Marian (my wife) said that she would like to visit Douglas on the Isle of Man because that is where her parents had first met on holiday in the late 1930’s just before the 2nd World War and
Continue readingThe Gospel reading at Mass last Monday was of Jesus’ encounter with the man with a withered hand. They met in the synagogue and those guardians of religious rectitude, the scribes and Pharisees, watched from the sidelines, willing Jesus to transgress by healing the man on the Sabbath. Jesus’ response
Continue readingOur readings this weekend present us with two key messages. Firstly, in Mark’s Gospel, Christ’s healing of the deaf and dumb man is directly linked to Isaiah’s prophecy. Christ is the long awaited Messiah and so the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will
Continue readingBack in May on the feast of Pentecost our bishops issued a joint Pastoral Letter for the feast day, focussing on the relationship between the coming of the Spirit and the urgency of the environmental crisis. A few weeks later I was at a Zoom meeting with some bishops and
Continue readingRECENTLY I was asked to review a new two volume collection of essays, recently translated from the Italian, about Pope Benedict XV, pope during the First World War. The subtitle to the collection (if you want details let me know, but it costs about £160), quoting Benedict himself, is A
Continue readingOn the 15th of August every year we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is a clear example of the fulfilment of the promise that Jesus Christ gave us. For centuries it has been a long-standing traditional belief for Christians, and on November 1,
Continue readingIt’s been several weeks now since we celebrated the feast of Pentecost and we as a Church live now in the time of the Holy Spirit. The place of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church is fundamental. The evangelical and missionary life of the Church is animated
Continue readingFr Steve and the parish team are all very kind and considerate to me as I bombard them with my ideas on social action issues (and I should also add the Deanery Clergy team, as well), and what action we should all be taking in the light of so many
Continue readingWe are slowly but gradually and systematically returning to normality after the lockdown restrictions as far as the full liturgical cum sacramental life of the Church and our parish are concerned. Lockdown restrictions are set to ease further tomorrow, July 19, 2021. During this period of relaxing the lockdown rules,
Continue readingIf, in January 2020, you had asked what being an altar server meant to me. I would have said something like this. It means being helpful and gaining a deeper understanding of the Mass. If pushed, I would have added that yes, serving on the altar helps me feel closer
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